climbing
the mountain before me
seemed impossible
the journey begins with one step 
down here in the valley of despair
surrounded by shadows of failure
and frostbitten gnarled trees
glacial ghosts of those that tried before

i had to find my way out of here
and so i took one step then another
despite the ice cold touch
by twisted branch and clawed fingers
determined to snatch my clothing
and pitch me screaming
back to the abyss of comfort
i wanted no part of it

scrambling over treacherous terrain
over jagged cravasse and glacial steep
keeping my eyes ever upward
focusing on the path ahead
refusing to be deterred by
crosscurrents of bitter wind
and tattered winged ravens
who wanted to see me fall

so they could pick at my
shattered remains at the
bottom of the ravine
never to be heard from again
after much trial and error
exhausted by my arduous journey
sometimes having to backtrack
and think out my options

i did it
i reached the summit
staked my flag on the mountain peak
knelt down and thanked God
that i had made it
achieved the impossible
i was greeted by the northern lights
dancing in my honor  :-)

(C) Copy written, 2004, by Karla Dorman.